Users oftentimes rely on smartphones to communicate with loved ones when in difficult situations. In direr situations, users will rely on smartphones to communicate with local emergency service providers. In either circumstance, smartphones have become one of the most, if not the most, widely-adopted means for communication in emergency situations. Smartphones enable users to make phone calls and send electronic messages (e.g., texts, emails) to others who can assist in various emergency situations. Moreover, smartphone location technologies, such as GPS, have been instrumental in assisting users identify their locations when they are lost, and have even helped others identify a lost or missing user's location.
In certain, particularly life-threatening situations, a smartphone user may be unwilling or unable to initiate an outgoing emergency communication. When under the apprehension of an immediate threat, a smartphone user would most likely not make a phone call or send a text message in the presence of their disapproving aggressor. To this end, a system or method for discreetly initiating an emergency broadcast from a smartphone would be highly beneficial.